Gavin Verhey packs today’s episode of Good Morning Magic full of historic trivia on every core set that has been released.
With preview season for Core Set 2021 coming in a few days, Verhey highlighted trivia from every core set dating back to Alpha. Below are the quick hits for each core set.
- Alpha: Volcanic Island and Circle of Protection: Black left out of the set. Cards have different, rounded border.
- Beta: Third art for each basic lands added, Volcanic Island and Circle of Protection: Black included in the set.
- Unlimited: First white-border set.
- Revised: Moxen removed, quality of life improvements like tap symbol. Reprints from non-core sets added.
- Fourth Edition: Tap symbol changed and new white mana symbol implemented.
- Fifth Edition: Largest core set at 449 cards with 218 cards getting new art.
- Sixth Edition: Set nicknamed Classic, introduces stack. First core set with an expansion symbol. No longer checked at end of phases to see if a player died. Basic land text boxes changed to mana symbols not words.
- Seventh Edition: Every card had new art. first core set with foils (had black borders) and a story line.
- Eight Edition: New card frame and included a card from every expansion.
- Ninth Edition: Addition of auras and equipment reprinted. First Russian printing (with black bordered). Birds of Paradise removed.
- Tenth Edition: Black border returns for core set. Legendary creatures in core set first time and first inclusion of tokens in booster packs.
- Magic 2010: Rule changes removed more damage on the stack and mana burn. New terminology like battlefield and exile. First core set with new cards.
- Magic 2011: Scry returns as a keyword and includes the titans for the first time.
- Magic 2012: Bloodthirst returns and introduces “dies” terminology.
- Magic 2013: First face/character of core set, Nicol Bolas, first multicolor card in core set.
- Magic 2014: Chandra as face, slivers return with changes, legend rule and planeswalker uniqueness rule change.
- Magic 2015: Garruk as face. Fifteen cards from external designers. New frame with security stamp.
- Magic Origins: “Last” core set at the time. Story approach focused on the Gatewatch with flip cards in a core set for the first time.
- Core Set 2019: Nicol Bolas as the face and elder dragons return.
- Core Set 2020: Chandra as face and elemental sub theme.